by KatharineMcMahon (Author)
A classic, page-turning story of secrets and science, passion and betrayal, innocence and experience. Dark secrets haunt the manor house at Selden in Buckinghamshire, where Emilie Selden, motherless, fiercely intelligent and beautiful, has been raised in near isolation by her father. John Selden, student of Isaac Newton, is conducting a secret experiment. He aims to turn Emilie into a brilliant natural philosopher and alchemist and fills her with knowledge while recording every step she takes. In the spring of 1725, when Emilie is eighteen, father and daughter begin their most daring adventure - an attempt to breathe life into dead matter. But they are interrupted by the arrival of two strangers. During the course of a sultry August, Emilie is caught up in the passion of first love and, listening for the first time to her heart rather than her head, she makes her choice - with consequences that are far-reaching and tumultuous.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Edition: Revised ed.
Publisher: W&N
Published: 06 Sep 2006
ISBN 10: 0753821311
ISBN 13: 9780753821312
Book Overview: A classic, page-turning story of secrets and science, passion and betrayal, innocence and experience - in the tradition of Tracy Chevalier and Philippa Gregory
Katharine McMahon studied English and Drama at Bristol University, has taught and trained extensively both in creative writing and within the criminal justice system, has served on The Sentencing Council and The Judicial Appointments Commission and currently works for the Royal Literary Fund developing projects that help writers use their unique skills in the community. She is the author of ten novels, including The Alchemist's Daughter and The Crimson Rooms, that focus on astonishing women and their ability to find a voice and make a mark, even at times and in societies when they are risking everything. The Rose of Sebastopol was a Richard & Judy pick and a Sunday Times bestseller.
www.katharinemcmahon.com